XPost: rec.radio.info

********************************************
The ARES Letter

Published by the American Radio Relay League ********************************************

June 21, 2023

Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE <[email protected]>

IN THIS ISSUE

- ARES� Briefs, Links
- ARRL Elected to Serve on SAFECOM
- Colorado AUXCOMM Supports Southwest Incident Management Team Wildfire Exercise
- New York State ARES Members Participate in State Communications
Exercise
- AUXC Personnel Attend Florida Training Mobilization
- Hospital Nets: An Expanding Role for Amateur Radio
- FEMA Regional Emergency Communications Coordination Working Group
Member Thanks All Healthcare Coalition Pre-Hurricane Communications
Exercise Participants
- ARES� Resources
- ARRL Resources

ARES� BRIEFS, LINKS

ARRL, FEMA Sign New Agreement <https://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-and-fema-sign-agreement-ham-radio-is-as-relevant-as-ever>
- Amateur Radio is as relevant as ever. Former FEMA Administrator Craig
Fugate, KK4INZ, said "The agreement emphasizes the importance of
skilled amateur radio operators in times of crisis and the role of ARES leadership within the emergency communications space." Fugate thanked
Ted Okada, K4HNL, Chief Technology Officer at FEMA.

RadioMail <https://www.winlink.org/content/radiomail_ios> brings
Winlink to iOS devices -- The Winlink Development Team has announced
the release of RadioMail, "a new client app for the iPhone by Island
Magic Co. of Kaua'i, Hawaii. With RadioMail, you can easily send and
receive Winlink emails via telnet or pair with modems to exchange
emails over the air."

ARRL ELECTED TO SERVE ON SAFECOM

ARRL has been elected to serve on SAFECOM
<https://www.cisa.gov/safecom>, a group of national thought leaders and officials within the emergency communications and response space that
works to set standards used at every level. The program is managed by
the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
<https://www.cisa.gov/> (CISA), an agency of the US Department of
Homeland Security.

SAFECOM sets the standards of interoperability procedures, and ARRL
being a part of the group solidifies the Amateur Radio Service as a
robust resource before and during times of crisis. In a letter from
SAFECOM Chair, Chief Gerald R. Reardon said "On behalf of the SAFECOM
Executive Board, it is with great pleasure that I inform you of our
offer to join SAFECOM as a member association. SAFECOM aims to improve multi-jurisdictional and intergovernmental communications
interoperability through collaboration with emergency responders and policymakers across federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, and international partners. SAFECOM recognizes the organization's
dedication to emergency communications and interoperability, and
therefore is pleased to extend a membership offer."

ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, said
"Gaining a seat at the table is a major step in strengthening the role
and capability of amateur radio with emergency communication agencies.
This will give us the sounding board and resources we need to set
standards and create training for our Amateur Radio Emergency Service
(ARES) volunteers that will better suit AHJ's (Agencies Having
Jurisdiction) and partner organizations." The opportunity for ARRL to
provide a more comprehensive Emergency Communications program is part
of the goal the Board and ARRL leadership has begun to emphasize over
the past few years, and this is one more example of the commitment to
do so. ARRL will provide premier resources for the served agencies to
support them in all phases of Emergency Management.

Johnston will serve as the Representative for ARRL on SAFECOM and will
be meeting with that leadership over the coming days to begin the
process of better understanding all the roles and responsibilities that
come with being a member association. "I look forward to working with
the SAFECOM leadership as we move forward and with the ARRL leadership
to better serve the ham community and our served agencies and
partners," Johnston said.

COLORADO AUXCOMM SUPPORTS SOUTHWEST INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TEAM

WILDFIRE EXERCISE

Last September, Southwest Incident Management Team (SWIMT) members
discussed hosting a full-scale wildland fire exercise for the Hotchkiss (Colorado) Fire Protection District
<https://www.hotchkissfiredistrict.org/>. SWIMT Incident Commander (IC)
Douglas Fritz has extensive experience in wildland fire and understands
that communication breakdowns are a common denominator in almost all
fatal fires.

In light of this, Fritz ensured communications would be front and
center in the planning process. The IC turned to SWIMT Communications
Unit Leaders (COML) Steve Schroder, KI0KY, Colorado AUXCOMM manager,
and Emit Hurdelbrink, W0UAW, Colorado AUXCOMM unit deputy coordinator,
to assist in exercise design.

Over several months, Schroder and Hurdelbrink worked closely with the
planning committee and provided guidance for incorporating
interoperable communication systems into every aspect of the exercise.

The planning committee developed a complex scenario that brought
together local, county, and state resources. It was based on a sudden,
rapidly growing wildfire in the Hotchkiss Fire District in southwestern Colorado. The script had the SWIMT engaged in scheduled training at
Hotchkiss when the fire began. Because the SWIMT was already on site,
it would be called upon to take command of the incident.

Wildland fire engines from multiple agencies would respond to a staging
area, where each crew would be assigned to conduct structure fire
protection operations at pre-identified homes and properties. At the
same time, additional residents would play the role of evacuees and
report to a mock evacuation center.

The exercise sought to demonstrate the capability of the SWIMT to
manage a significant wildfire incident and provide opportunities for
team members to gain experience and complete items in their Incident
Command System (ICS) Position Task Books <https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/nims/components/position-task-books>.

On April 1, 2023, after months of planning, the SWIMT Simulated
Wildfire Exercise got under way. Delta Emergency Manager Kris Stewart
formally requested support from the Colorado Auxiliary Communication
(AUXCOMM) Unit <https://dhsem.colorado.gov/emergency-management/field-operations/auxiliary-communications>
using the state's WebEOC <https://www.juvare.com/webeoc/> system. In
addition to personnel to staff the incident command post (ICP) and
emergency operations center (EOC), Stewart requested Colorado AUXCOMM's portable HF radio station. Each Colorado AUXCOMM member received an ICS
Form 260 <https://training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/icsresource/assets/ics
forms/ics form 260, resource order.pdf> resource order with
instructions for mobilization and reporting.

In addition to the SWIMT COML staff, Mesa County-based AUXCOMM members
Ralph Grover, AE0RE; Bill Ritchen, AB0LG; Paul Frey, N2COL; Randy
Stringer, KD0NSP, and western region AUXCOMM manager Chip Ferron,
N0WKR, traveled to Hotchkiss to provide on-site communication support.

Two AUXCOMM members were assigned to the staging area where fire
engines and other resources checked in and received their incident
action plan (IAP), including the communications plan developed by
Schroder and Hurdelbrink. Engines from agencies that lacked
interoperable communications were issued 800 DTRS (800 MHz trunking
system) radios from the Hotchkiss radio cache.

The Montrose Amateur Radio Club allowed the use of their new
communications trailer, which was placed at the ICP. Three AUXCOMM
members staffed the trailer and established the incident communication
center (ICC). This arrangement allowed communications staff access to
ICP personnel to maintain situational awareness and yet have a quiet
location to coordinate communications.

A portable HF/SHARES go-box and Chameleon antenna provided the team
with HF Winlink capability, allowing them to communicate with the State
of Colorado and the Delta County EOCs, where additional AUXCOMM
partners worked to support the mission.

AUXCOMM/ARES members from Mesa County staffed the staging area and the
ICC. They monitored traffic on the command channel and participated in
using a medical incident report (MIR) in the Wildfire Medical Plan ICS
Form 206 <https://www.nwcg.gov/sites/default/files/products/ics-forms/ics_206_wf.pdf> form to document simulated injuries during an incident within an
incident (IWI) drill.

Ferron was the AUXCOMM manager at the ICC. His team used the Colorado
AUXCOMM portable HF radio station to send ICS email messages <https://training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/icsresource/assets/ics forms/ics
form 213, general message (v3).pdf> to Colorado Section Emergency
Coordinator James Cizek, KI0KN. Cizek used his home station as a proxy
for the HF station at the Colorado State EOC near Denver, and the team
used the local VHF digipeater to exchange ICS messages with Bill Bear,
KC0QXX, Colorado Region Eight Emergency Coordinator, who served as the
AUXCOMM manager and oversaw five additional AUXCOMM/ARES members at the
Delta County EOC.

Throughout the day, AUXCOMM members traded positions and tasks,
allowing the entire team to get hands-on training in relaying routine
and simulated emergency traffic using the HF and UHF/VHF gear. They
worked closely with SWIMT COML Schroder, and other ICP staff. In
addition, AUXCOMM/ARES members were able to complete many items in
their task books.

Conclusions and Lessons Learned

After the exercise, Schroder said, "The exercise provided an
exceptional training opportunity, and we feel that we are now better
prepared to work as a team in support of the Colorado Division of
Homeland Security and Emergency Management should a disaster arise."
Colorado AUXCOMM is a specialized incident and disaster response public
safety communications unit comprised of volunteers whose primary
mission is to support the Colorado DHSEM. Colorado AUXCOMM may also
support local jurisdictions and agencies through the state resource mobilization process. In addition to providing emergency
communications, Colorado AUXCOMM works with our emergency
communications agencies, such as the Amateur Radio Emergency Service,
the American Red Cross, and the Colorado National Guard, to develop interoperability solutions and cooperative agreements. -- Steve
Schroder, KI0KY, and Emit Hurdelbrink, W0UAW

NEW YORK STATE ARES MEMBERS PARTICIPATE IN STATE COMMUNICATIONS

EXERCISE

On April 11, 12, and 13, 2023, members of several New York ARES teams participated in the New York State Communications Unit Exercise at the
State Preparedness Training Center (SPTC) in Oriskany, New York. The
HSEEP <https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/national-preparedness/exercises/hseep>-based
exercise was coordinated by the NYS Department of Homeland Security
Office of Interoperable and Emergency Communications (OIEC). The
exercise included more than 60 people from 26 agencies around the
state.

The Communications Unit Exercise (COMMEX) is a functional exercise (FE) designed to establish a learning environment for players to exercise
emergency response plans, policies, and procedures by building all the real-world systems and networks to solve the communication needs of the
actual exercise in real time as they pertain to a disaster response
that is significant enough to warrant the activation of regional and
State communication assets. The Communications Unit (COMU) was
organized, and team positions were filled with people from cities and
counties all over the state, and included NYS Office of Fire Prevention
and Control, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, and the NYS
Office of Emergency Management.

Trainees Jim Stefano, W2COP; Tony Correa, KD2PTJ; Joe DiVincenzo,
AD2DB, and Peter Newell, KC2WI, all participated as AUXCOMM personnel,
along with Martin Grillo, an NYS-credentialed AUXCOMM evaluator, all
working under the supervision of a Communications Unit Leader (COML).
Stefano had completed his AUXCOMM classroom course at the Dayton
Hamvention�, and Correa, DiVincenzo, and Newell completed their courses
at the New York State OIEC AUXCOMM class last fall. Another ARES
member, Jim Herbst, KC2KNJ, participated as Exercise Director.

Objectives for the trainees were to train, exercise, and demonstrate
the skills required to respond to requests for communications support;
to work as a Communications Unit team; become familiar with working in
the NIMS Incident Command System; and familiarize themselves with the
equipment and procedures NYS OIEC uses when they deploy. Members also
had an opportunity to complete some of the tasks in their AUXCOMM
Position Task Book
<https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/CISA AUXCOMM PTB
- 12162020 - 508.pdf>.

The scenario was a flood in the city of Rome, New York that overwhelmed
city resources. Rome requested assistance from several county and NYS
agencies including the NYS OIEC office. The COMU had to develop a communications plan, and build a Regional Operations Center (ROC) in a classroom at the SPTC. The COMU, including AUXCOMMs, used a variety of
OIEC deployable equipment and set up radio consoles, laptops, and
phones to support multiple dispatch positions. As the scenario
expanded, the COMU team also had to provide wireless connectivity for
the ROC, add additional deployable repeaters, and provide portables as
requests came in.

Conclusion

This was the first time AUXCOMM members had participated in the NYS
OIEC exercise. By all accounts at the hotwash following the exercise,
AUXCOMM members rendered invaluable assistance by providing support as technicians and as radio dispatchers in the ROC. The AUXCOMM members
also had valuable feedback at the hotwash, which the Exercise Planning
Team uses to develop the next exercise. These volunteer members truly demonstrated the value of bringing trained AUXCOMM members into a NIMS Communications Unit. NYS OIEC continues to support training and
exercises that include AUXCOMM personnel. -- Jim Herbst, KC2KNJ, Monroe
County, New York ARES

AUXC PERSONNEL ATTEND FLORIDA TRAINING MOBILIZATION

From May 21 through May 24, 16 amateur radio operators who previously completed the AUXCOMM course and were looking to complete their AUXC

position task book
<https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/CISA AUXCOMM PTB
- 12162020 - 508.pdf> were selected to attend Florida's second annual communications training mobilization, known as "MARCONI II." These 16
members deployed to Lake County (near Orlando), along with Mutual Aid
Radio Communications (MARC) unit resources, as well as staff from the
State of Florida's Communications Unit. Florida is moving toward being
an "AUXCOMM State," meaning that the communications resources that
could be asked to deploy outside of their local county (whether inside
or outside of the state) must complete the AUXCOMM training course as
well as the AUXCOMM position task book. [Volunteers in local counties
that don't wish to deploy outside of their own county would continue to
use whatever program they're currently under, which could be ARRL ARES,
RACES, or AUXCOMM.] Florida has offered one AUXCOMM course so far in
2023, two in 2022 and 2021, and is working to get more courses
available in various parts of the state this and next year.

MARC units were drilled, along with other deployable local and regional
assets as part of the training week. Each team was a mix of public
safety and AUXC personnel, with several AUXC resources serving as team
leaders. Each region of Florida hosts a MARC unit, as well as numerous
other local and regional assets, that come together when needed, such
as most recently after Hurricane Ian.

During Hurrican Ian, for the first time, AUXC volunteers were deployed
as part of the state deployment. Additionally, cache radios on VHF/UHF
and the 700/800 MHz public safety bands, repeaters, gateways, portable
trunked systems, and Satellite systems were utilized. Staff challenged
the AUXC trainees in many ways during the week.

The AUXCOMM training equips volunteers with practical skills, such as
radio operation and data network management, as well as fostering
relationships within the emergency response community under common
incident management concepts. Having the opportunity to practice and
prove your skills alongside professional career response personnel is a
great way to learn as well as get to know the people you may be
deployed alongside of during an incident or even a planned event.

AUXCOMM volunteers attending the exercise received training on topics
ranging from operations of the MARC units to Winlink, and proper go-kit
station setup. The volunteers also had the opportunity to have various
portions of their AUXC position task book signed off by COMT
(communications technicians) and COML (communications leader) staff.
Some volunteers were ultimately able to complete task books they'd
already started and have them signed off on by the SWIC (Statewide Interoperability Coordinator) to be officially recognized as AUXCOMM
resources by the State of Florida. Additionally, FEMA has announced
updates to the National Incident Management System (NIMS) that
officially recognizes the AUXC position as part of the new Information
and Communications Technology (ICT) branch.

Conclusion

AUXCOMM is about more than just amateur radio, as volunteers are
trained to be used in any position in which a communications resource
may be needed. Whether it be amateur radio, SHARES <https://www.cisa.gov/resources-tools/programs/shared-resources-shares-high-frequency-hf-radio-program>
radio, public safety, answering a phone, or even satellite
communications, AUXCs are there to assist wherever they can be utilized
to make a difference. - David Byrum, KA4EBX, published in QST NFL, <https://arrl-nfl.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/00-QST-NFL-June-2023.pdf>June 2023 issue <https://arrl-nfl.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/00-QST-NFL-June-2023.pdf>, Marty Brown, N4GL, editor

HOSPITAL NETS: AN EXPANDING ROLE FOR AMATEUR RADIO

By Ira Brodsky, KC9TC, St. Louis, Missouri

Hospital nets deserve a bigger role in amateur radio's future. They not
only serve a patently good cause, they can continue and enhance the
ongoing development of amateur radio, both to better meet emergency communication needs, and to attract more young people to the service.

Radio amateurs and hospital nets give healthcare providers a powerful communication tool for responding to disasters, and give the amateur
radio community opportunities to deploy trained operators dedicated to emergency communication, raise public awareness of amateur radio, and
attract young people interested in community service.

Amateur radio's proven emergency communication value is one of the
reasons it enjoys access to frequencies up and down the radio spectrum.
Amateur radio operators helped rescue people stranded by floods during Hurricane Katrina, and assisted the American Red Cross following the
Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks when commercial telecom networks
became overloaded. Hospital nets build on that record by helping
healthcare providers make the best use of available beds, physicians,
and other valuable resources when disaster strikes.

The amateur radio community has partnered with hospitals and government agencies to provide communication when landlines, cell phone networks,
and the Internet fail or are impaired. Commercial networks depend on
vulnerable infrastructure and were not designed to handle unusual
traffic surges. Amateur radio provides capacity on demand for
communication over any distance, using voice or data, to and from
portable or fixed stations, with or without infrastructure.

Now is a good time to take stock of hospital net accomplishments, the
remaining challenges to hospital net growth, and the opportunities that hospital nets present to amateur radio going forward. Today's hospital
nets are highly diverse. Some serve just a few local hospitals, others
serve greater metropolitan areas, and a few serve entire states. Some
hospital nets strictly use analog voice communication, but many support
data modes, and some even support one of the VHF/UHF digital voice
formats. Many await their first activation, while others have years of experience responding to disasters.

While hospital nets are mainly expected to respond to local disasters,
that's not always the case. "When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in
2017, patients were flown into Columbia, South Carolina and routed to
area hospitals. In response to a National Disaster Medical System
request, for several days the South Carolina Healthcare Emergency
Amateur Radio Team (SCHEART) manned a redundant communication system in
case the primary systems failed," said Roger Mull, KD4JQJ, District
Emergency Coordinator, South Carolina ARES. [Part 2 will appear in next
month's issue -- Ed.]

FEMA REGIONAL EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATION WORKING GROUP

MEMBER THANKS ALL HEALTHCARE COALITION PRE-HURRICANE COMMUNICATIONS
EXERCISE PARTICIPANTS

The Eastern Healthcare Preparedness Coalition <https://easternhpc.com/ehpc-communication-exercise-may-4th-2023/>
(EHPC) Pre-Hurricane communications exercise involved auxiliary
communications resources (including ARRL ARES), and agency use of the
Winlink Radio Email System <https://www.winlink.org/> in portions of
FEMA Region 3 (Mid-Atlantic) and Region 4 (Southeast). This was
accomplished through both CISA SHARES <https://www.cisa.gov/shares-program-information> and amateur radio
resources in a most interoperable and integrated manner. Although the
majority of emphasis was within North Carolina, the field situational
awareness "ground truth" information outside of that state was
illustrated nicely. (See the After-Action Report's Appendix A <https://subsplash.com/easternhealthcareprepare/media/ms/+xkh5nfj> on
page 15).

In a letter to ARRL Director of Emergency Communications Josh Johnston,
KE5MHV, Winlink Administrator and FEMA Regional Emergency
Communications Coordination Working Group (RECCWG) member Steve
Waterman, K4CJX, wrote recently, "Thanks to you and the ARRL ARES
leadership for their participation in making the auxiliary
communications portion of this exercise a success." Waterman also said,
"This did not go unnoticed in jurisdictions that were previously less
than enthusiastic toward volunteer resources, and hopefully will
continue to have a positive impact toward the future use of ARES
participation, all under the Auxiliary communications/volunteer
resource banner."

Waterman noted that "Matthew McMahon, the exercise lead and the author
of the AAR grades and certifies Homeland Security Exercise and
Evaluation Program (HSEEP) exercises for a living, and this certainly
shows up when reading the document." He added, "This is a perfect model
of an HSEEP compliant AAR from a perfectly executed compliant HSEEP
'pre Hurricane' exercise." [Waterman is a well-known, leading data communications developer with the DHS CISA SHARES Auxiliary; FEMA R4
RECCWG AUXCOMM Committee, Chair; Tennessee EMA COMU, Williamson County;
and Winlink Administrator, Development Team, ARSFI Board of Directors.
-- Ed.]

ARES� RESOURCES

- Download the ARES Manual [PDF] <http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Public%20Service/ARES/ARESmanual2015.pdf>
- ARES Field Resources Manual [PDF] <http://www.arrl.org/files/file/ARES_FR_Manual.pdf>
- ARES Standardized Training Plan Task Book [Fillable PDF] <http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Public%20Service/ARES/ARRL-ARES-FILLABLE-TRAINING-TASK-BOOK-V2_1_1.pdf>
- ARES Standardized Training Plan Task Book [Word] <http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Public%20Service/ARES/ARRL-ARES-STANDARDIZED-TRAINING-TASK-BOOK-V1_2_2.doc>
- ARES Plan <http://www.arrl.org/ares-plan>
- ARES Group Registration
<http://www.arrl.org/ares-group-id-request-form>
- Emergency Communications Training <http://www.arrl.org/emergency-communications-training>

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service� (ARES) consists of licensed
amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and
equipment, with their local ARES leadership, for communications duty in
the public service when disaster strikes. Every licensed amateur,
regardless of membership in ARRL or any other local or national
organization is eligible to apply for membership in ARES. Training may
be required or desired to participate fully in ARES. Please inquire at
the local level for specific information. Because ARES is an amateur
radio program, only licensed radio amateurs are eligible for
membership. The possession of emergency-powered equipment is desirable,
but is not a requirement for membership.

How to Get Involved in ARES: Fill out the ARES Registration form <http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Public%20Service/fsd98.pdf> and submit
it to your local Emergency Coordinator.

ARRL RESOURCES

Join or Renew Today! <http://www.arrl.org/join> Eligible US-based
members can elect to receive QST <http://www.arrl.org/qst> or On the
Air <http://www.arrl.org/on-the-air-magazine> magazine in print when
they join ARRL or when they renew their membership. All members can
access digital editions of all four ARRL magazines: QST, On the Air,
QEX, and NCJ.

Subscribe to NCJ -- the National Contest Journal
<http://www.arrl.org/ncj>. Published bimonthly, features articles by
top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA Sprint and QSO
parties.

Subscribe to QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters <http://www.arrl.org/qex>. Published bimonthly, features technical
articles, construction projects, columns, and other items of interest
to radio amateurs and communications professionals.

Free of charge to ARRL members: Subscribe <http://www.arrl.org/myarrl-account-management#%21/edit-info-email_subscriptions>
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________

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